A Business Manifesto is a published declaration of intentions, motives, or views. Every business needs a Manifesto. A strong Manifesto can help guide you as you make decisions, communicate with customers, and grow.

It brings absolute clarity to why your business exists, what it does, and why people should care. It guides your day-to-day operations and shapes your strategic direction, creating a single, agile point of reference that allows for a common understanding of the business that everyone can get behind, internally and externally. It should be created with intention and thoughtfulness. Here are five key elements that your Manifesto should include:

Purpose

Your purpose is why your business exists (beyond just financial stability or profit). It tells people why they should care about your business and why it matters to them on an emotional level. Your purpose should explain why you’re different from other companies offering similar services or products. It should communicate something unique about what you offer that sets it apart from competitors. It should also focus on how your product or service helps make people’s lives better or easier in some way.

Mission

Your mission defines what it is that your business does and how you plan to achieve it. It should include an outline of current activities and specific goals for the future. This will help create focus and direction for all team members.

Vision

Your vision should express your long-term aspirations for the company. This could include things like aiming to become an industry leader or expanding into new markets or countries. The Vision should paint an image of where you want your company to be in five or ten years.

Values

Your values are the principles that guide how you operate day-to-day and long-term decision-making processes within the company. Values can range from being customer service oriented to promoting diversity among staff members or staying true to environmental sustainability practices throughout all aspects of the company’s operations.

Culture

Your culture encompasses different elements such as workplace etiquette, communication styles, team dynamics, collaborative working practices, etc. Culture also dictates how employees interact with each other, customers, and other stakeholders within their roles at work.

Creating a manifesto for your business serves many purposes, but most importantly, it allows you to set out clear expectations for your employees from day one, ensuring everyone understands what they need to do for the company.

When creating a manifesto it’s important to consider whom you’re trying to reach. Think about what makes sense for that particular audience. For example, if you are targeting millennials, then they may appreciate a different tone of voice than if you are targeting generation X. It’s also important to make sure that whatever words or phrases you choose accurately capture the essence of what makes your brand unique, don’t just throw any words together! Remember that this is meant to convey who you are at its core, so taking time to craft it well is essential

Once you have finished crafting it, take some time to reflect on how it can be used both internally and externally. How can it be used in conversations with potential customers? How can it be used in marketing materials? How can it be used as an expression of what sets you apart from competitors? Thinking through these questions will help ensure that all parts of your company are leveraging it to maximize its potential impact on growth and success.

Having a manifesto for your business is essential to keeping you focused on why you started the business and what matters most. And although it should be central to what the business does, it should always be a work in progress, revisited often and adapted as your business grows.

Co Contributor  – David Eccles
Image – Mike Kiev @ Unsplash